An Unexpected Power
by Applepieforever
Summary: Huo is a normal Earth kingdom boy who has discovered he doesn't have any bending. Saddened over this prospect, but willing to live with it, he is shocked to discover that he might not be completely powerless after all...
1. Chapter 1-Bending Practice

A/N. This is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction. I'm rating it Teen because of violence and certain subject material that will show up in later chapters. I will appreciate any reviews :) Thank you for reading!

* * *

"I'm sorry, Yisi. But your son does not seem to have an aptitude for earth bending."

Huo looked up at his parents, silhouetted against the clear blue sky, already prepared to see their sullen looks and their disappointing gazes. Master Shi had been giving charge over Huo in the attempt to teach him bending. Everyone thought the young boy had aptitude for the art of earthbending, but it was definitely not his talent. All his attempts had led to Master Shi's disapproving glares and the laughter of his fellow students. Both his parents were benders, and while their skill was around average, they at least had bending.

Raising tentative green eyes to meet his mother's, Huo saw a feeble smile that she was directing towards him. His father was refusing to make eye contact and was staring at the bending master with a stern gaze. "Very well, master Shi. You tried your best, and I assure you, Huo did as well."

Master Shi bowed to Huo's parents, muttered his condolences, then left: leaving the courtyard of the sprawling mansion.

"Mother!" Huo sobbed once the bending master was out of sight along the road. "I'm so sorry! I tried, I really tried! I wanted to make you proud but-"

"Shh..." His mother consoled, wrapping her arms around her small son. "It is alright. There is nothing wrong with not having bending."

"But—" Huo tried to protest, but his tears clogged his throat and he could no longer speak.

"Shh..." His mother continued, and was going to say more, but his father interrupted.

"Two bending parents can produce a child without bending. Let us hope that is the case." Mumbling to himself, Huo's father walked back into the house, his face creased in a frown, leaving Huo with his mother. Chén looked after her husband, and sighed.

"Why don't you go and play, dear?" She suggested to her son. Her eyes held a firmness that insisted this was an order not a suggestion.

"But...no one will. No one will want to play with me after what happened in the training yard..."

"I don't think that's quite the case." Turning her young son around, he was given a view of the gate and there stood his friend.

"Maia!" He exclaimed, rushing to meet his friend who greeted him with open arms.

Chén laughed after him. "Behave yourselves," she told them.

Huo grinned as he disentangled himself from Maia's hug and bowed to his mother. "We won't."

"We won't Mrs. Huo's mom!" Maia responded, waving her hand in goodbye as she led her friend off. She brought him to the edge of town where the flat plateau of the village met the sloping edges of the forest.

"I saw what happened," she said, folding her legs beneath her as she seated herself on the ground.

Huo hung his head as he took a seat on a sturdy stump. "Was it embarrassing?"

"To you: yes. To the rest of us: no. Mostly everyone found it funny."

Huo drew his legs in closer to his chest, biting on his lip in an attempt to curb uninvited tears. "That's what I was afraid of."

"Hey! Maybe you have a different kind of bending!" Maia suggested, standing up and grabbing his hand; pulling him up to stand next to her.

"A different...kind?" He tested the words on his tongue. "But I'm from the earth kingdom! The only kind of bending I would have would be earth."

Maia continued to gaze at him with her large green eyes. She seemed to have everything figured out so Huo sat down and waited for her to continue.

"Maybe you're the Avatar," she stated solemnly, but her eyes were glimmering with the hope that this could be possible.

Huo laughed, but on the inside he was shocked, almost daring to believe her. Almost. "But the Avatar is gone. He disappeared! My tutor says that the cycle must have ended for good, and it couldn't be me because the next one would be an air bender since Avatar Roku was fire-"

"It _has_ been a hundred years. He could have died in the air nomad massacre—he would have only been a kid at that time—then he would be reborn in the water tribe, and you know they've suffered a ton of attacks over the course of the war. Maybe he—or she—died and was reborn as you!"

Huo picked up a rock experimentally to see if he could summon some hidden power, then threw it to the ground with a scowl. The only thing he could feel was the dirt against his toes and the heat of the wood beneath him. "But I can't earth bend! The Avatar would have to be able to do that as well as the other elements."

Maia shrugged, once again fully confident in her theory. "Maybe it doesn't come naturally to you. Let's try something else!"

She stood up and Huo rose to his feet reluctantly. They were around the same height, so he usually would stand on his tiptoes to pretend they were on the same level. However, he did not do it today. There was some sort of solemnity in the air, and he didn't want to break it.

Maia put out her hands and indicated that he do the same. Huo followed her lead, intensely curious about what she was going to do.

"We're going to try airbending. Feel the wind," she told him. " _Feel_ it. Feel it between your fingers and your toes. Close your eyes if it helps. Once you feel it, try to grip it like an invisible string and bend it!"

Huo closed his eyes tight and tried to feel. There was a slight breeze and it wound through his fingers, tickled his toes, and blew stray strands of hair against his cheek, cooling the atmosphere around him, but the heat persisted. He tried to grasp at the wind, but it just kept blowing like usual and he thought he heard it laughing at him in the distance. Opening his eyes, he gave a great huff. "I don't think I'm an air bender."

Maia opened her eyes. "Oh well. Let's try the next one!"

She scampered to the line of trees and began to trot down the steep path that meandered through the thick trunks. Huo followed right behind her, his feet churning up a small cloud of dust, and soon they came to a flat rocky spot next to a waterfall. Below, nearly ten feet or so, flowed a creek. Maia climbed up on a rock next to the waterfall that was wet and slippery due to its proximity to the water. "Come here," she ordered.

Once Huo was by her side, she began to instruct him. He hung on her every word, and tried not to focus on the hot sun beating down on the back of his neck and instead on the cool misty spray of the waterfall.

"Hold out your hands and focus on the water. Try to pull it towards you. Be gentle and flowing with your movements. You're not an earth bender after all..."

Huo focused, staring at the water and willing it to listen to him. Then he moved his hands and it didn't move. It just kept going down, and the sun continued to beat down on his back. "I really don't think I have a connection with water," he responded.

Maia tapped her chin. "Well, that leaves us one more option."

Huo's eyes grew wide. She thought he might be a fire bender? His heart raced and he tried to calm it by reminding himself that there was no way that he could fire bend. He couldn't earth bend, he couldn't air bend, he couldn't water bend. Therefore he most certainly was not able to fire bend.

Despite his sudden fear, he still followed Maia to a flat dry spot where she was striking her flint against steel upon a pile of twigs. Soon she had started a small fire. She brought tiny rocks around the fire, careful not to let it spread.

Huo stood there, paralyzed, as she grabbed some fuel. "Don't be afraid," she told him, dropping a few larger sticks on the pile of burning twigs.

"But...what if I-" he found his breath coming quickly and his heart racing through his chest. He wanted to admit to her he was scared that he might have fire bending, but he couldn't. "—I start a forest fire?" He redirected quickly.

"You're not going to," she responded, her eyes staring at the orange flames licking up the sides of the dry wood. She crouched next to the flames. "Try to pull the fire out of the ring."

She didn't offer any more advice like she had with the other elements. Huo couldn't help but feel that she didn't want him to be a fire bender any more than he did. But he decided he had to try—try to prove his thoughts wrong. He didn't have any bending and that was okay.

He crouched down beside the fire. Taking in a deep breath, he held out his hands and felt the heat of the fire centered in his palms. He exhaled and the flames leapt towards him. His heart jumped and he nearly pulled his hands back. It was just a trick of the light. A trick. That's all it was.

Inhaling again and exhaling sharply, he focused on the heat in the center of his palms. He had them facing out toward the fire so he couldn't see what was happening, but soon he became aware of a tickling sensation on his palms. Careful not to upset whatever it was that was creating that feeling, he drew his hands towards him and put his palms up. Two tiny little flames rested in the center of his hands. Cupping them together, they formed a slightly larger flame. Maia stared at him from across the fire, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. "You—you can—"

Huo felt a pang of fear and his flame diminished, but both of them knew what they had seen. He rose to his feet and ran up the path, never stopping to see if Maia was following. He dashed tears from his eyes. Hot tears. Wondering whether Maia was alright was the least of his worries. She would never be his friend again, and that was what he was truly afraid of. Would he ever have another friend again.

"Huo!" He heard Maia call out, but he wasn't listening. He needed to go home and wake up from this terrible dream.


	2. Chapter 2-A Good Firebender

Thank you guys for liking my first chapter! A big shout-out to Guest13: your review made my day :D. For some reason, I don't know how to respond to guest comments, so I'll answer your questions here. In answer to your first question, I pronounce Maia's name "My-uh", but frankly it can be pronounced however you want. In answer to the second question: yes there is a war on, however this is several years before the first episode of A:TLA. (and I'm glad you like apple pie too b^-^d)

Anyway, enjoy this next chapter :) !

* * *

"Huo!" Maia's voice called out in a harsh whisper.

The small boy creaked his eyes open and groaned. The sun shone in through his open window, where he saw the shadow of Maia's head on his floor. Looking up he met the gaze of his best friend and nearly smiled but everything came back to him and he looked away, hiding his face from her. He turned over, pulling his blankets around him. "Go away," he told her.

"No. I won't," she replied. Crawling through the window, she tumbled to the ground and a second later plopped herself down upon her best friend, although he still didn't look at her. "I've come to teach you."

"Teach me what?" Huo asked, opening one eye to state at her.

"How to use your bending, of course!" she exclaimed and Huo hastily shushed her. He didn't want his parents to hear.

"But I thought—you were scared of me." He sat up, and stared at his hands. The hands that could produce the dreaded element of fire at will.

"I was shocked. Not scared. Do you realise how amazing this is?"

"There's nothing amazing about being able to fire bend." Huo whispered, scared to speak of his power out loud.

Maia shook her head adamantly. "It's bending. It's a gift!"

"But fire benders are evil! Haven't you seen the destruction of their war against us? It's only a matter of time before they find our village and take us all captive. That's what my father says."

Maia crossed her arms and huffed. Huo sheepishly met her gaze and her glare told him that it was taking every ounce of friendship she had to keep herself from slapping him. "Make a fire," she told him, her voice more curious than demanding.

Huo cast a nervous glance towards his bedroom door, scared that his parents were going to jump in at any moment and take him away to do whatever the Earth Kingdom did with fire benders. He had never seen war first hand, but like any child in the kingdom, he knew what the reality was. Firebending was evil.

He exhaled after a few seconds, assured himself his parents weren't going to find out, and produced a small fire that hovered over the palm of his hand.

Maia looked at it almost like it was a cute little animal, not a vehicle for mass destruction. "Look at it. Does it look dangerous?" she asked him.

"Yes," Huo whispered, staring at the flame as it licked at the air, trying to grow bigger, but he wouldn't let it. He didn't know how he controlled it, but so long as he took in slow, even breaths and held his hand still, it seemed to remain at the same size.

"But are _you_ dangerous?"

Huo lifted his eyes from the flame to Maia's face. The small golden flame was reflected in her verdant eyes as she stared earnestly at him.

"I-I don't think so."

Maia smiled knowingly back at him. She curiously reached out to touch the flame but drew back her finger because of the heat. She raised her eyes to Huo and spoke. "My father says that bending is a gift some of us are given. It doesn't matter if you're good or evil, because it can be used for both. Most fire benders use theirs for evil, but that doesn't mean you can't. You can be the first good fire bender."

Huo smiled, and he extinguished the flame. Maia was right. She was incredibly insightful and persuasive, and she never failed to turn his mood around. He didn't feel like an evil person, and he had no intentions of becoming evil, so why should he let fire bending change that? "My mother always said you were wise for a nine year old."

Maia blushed. "I don't know that much…"

"Then how are you going to teach me fire bending?" Huo smirked, a glint in his eye.

Maia returned his glance, her face lighting up with mischievous intent. "My father has a few bending scrolls he's been collecting over the years. I'll see if I can find anything useful."

There was a rap at Huo's door. "Huo? Are you awake? It's time for breakfast." He heard his mother's voice beckon.

Maia stood up and slipped out of the window, waving as she disappeared into the garden on her way back home.

"Coming mother!" Huo responded, throwing off his covers, and headed off towards breakfast.


	3. Chapter 3-Bending Scrolls

I am so sorry about the long delay in posting! Life really got in the way, and then writers block cropped up. Anyway, here is the next installment! Enjoy!

* * *

"I thought you said he'd let us borrow them?" Huo whispered, his voice harsh with secrecy.

"My dad is very protective over his books. Especially those scrolls. Some of them could be hundreds of years old!" Maia returned.

Maia and Huo sat beneath an open window which led straight into Maia's father's study. They were remaining as quiet as they could, although both of them knew her father was elsewhere. They had seen him only an hour ago walking towards the town hall off for one of the various meetings that both their fathers participated in from time to time.

"All we have to do is sneak in and grab a few. He won't even know they're gone."

Huo shifted uneasily and glanced at Maia. She rolled her eyes at him and he stiffened.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out!"

"I"m not a chicken!" Huo protested, and he was about to spring through the window, but Maia beat him.

She stood up to her full height and hoisted herself into the window, making several clunking sounds as her body hit the frame. Huo followed her, not daring to question their use of the window instead of the front door, and soon they were both sitting on the window seat. Huo had only been in Maia's father's library once before and was amazed at how many books the man owned. Had he really read them all? He let his eyes wander to scan all the shelves. He began counting.

"Over here!"

Huo stopped at thirty-six and noticed that Maia had left his side. She was standing at the far end of the library, pointing to a shelf occupied by a great stack of scrolls. Pushing off of his seat, he was soon at her side. "How are we going to take all of those?" he asked, his voice thick with wonder. He was about to start counting, but Maia interrupted him.

"A few at a time, silly. My dad will notice if we take more than four. Now, give me a boost."

Before Huo had a chance to give his consent, Maia had placed both her hands on his shoulders and was climbing up him like a tree. A few muffled groans, soon to come bruises, and a minute later, Maia was perched on his shoulders.

The small girl, who was surprisingly heavy, quickly flipped through several scrolls. "Here," she handed one scroll down to Huo. He took it from her warily. Tightening his grip lest it fall, he felt the brittle paper crinkle beneath his grasp and he quickly made certain to keep his hands on it soft. Just one small wrinkle on the scroll and Maia's father would know.

As Maia rummaged through the rest of the scrolls, Huo began to imagine the scenario where her father would notice them stealing. He'd find a bent edge, or a small smudge of food next to one of the pictures and would come storming over to Huo's parents, demanding to know why their son was taking firebending scrolls. Then his parents would come to him and demand the truth. He was good at keeping secrets, but he wasn't certain he could keep this one for very long if someone came asking. But if his parents knew, they would probably send him off to prison where they kept all the other captive firebenders. At least, maybe there he would find a proper teacher.

As he had these vivid daydreams, Maia had selected three other scrolls which she handed down to her partner in crime who was hard pressed to keep them balanced in his arms without damaging any of them. Huo tried very hard not to cry out in pain as his friend began to descend. Her hands grasped his hair to the point of pulling it out, and her feet dug into his waist as she sought for purchase to keep herself from falling. But he did not make a sound. One cry and he could set the entire town upon himself and he would never be safe again. Those thoughts would have set more daydreams into motion, but Maia was intent on keeping active.

She dashed towards the window, her bare feet soft and soundless on the polished wooden floor. Huo followed at a slower pace, the delicate scrolls cradled in his arms.

"Don't take all day," Maia huffed after sliding through the window, her exit more graceful than her entrance, and Huo passed her the scrolls through the open window before climbing out himself. After an unplanned tumble in the grass after catching his foot on the windowsill he jumped up, thankful that he had not been holding the scrolls at the time.

"Ready?" Maia beckoned. Huo gave her a big smile. he was apprehensive about learning how to use his bending, but he was excited to try.

He and Maia raced from the edge of the woods back to their haunt by the waterfall. The gentle spray of water cooled the hot summer air, but the two friends stayed as far away as they possibly could from the water. Maia set all four of the scrolls down upon a dry rock underneath the shade of a large tree as carefully as she could, then began to unroll one. "I only found two fire bending scrolls in the whole collection."

"Then what are the other two?" He asked. He peered over her shoulder at the fire bending scroll she had on display and saw the small, almost childish, depictions of a bender going through the motions to complete a simple maneuver for fire bending.

Maia shrugged. "Maybe you can try to bend fire with earth or water bending techniques. I would say air as well, but I looked and my dad doesn't have any of those."

Huo stared nervously at the instructions.

"Come on," Maia urged. They exchanged gazes, Huo's nervous and Maia's expectant. "What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," he lied. He really was waiting for his bending to go away, or to have the world's opinions change suddenly. "I'm ready." He took in a deep breath and loosened his muscles.

Maia picked up a few stones and, after making sure they had no dirt on the bottom, she placed them at the corners of the scroll.

Carefully, Huo studied the pictures. The writing on the side of the paper labelled the first as a simple fire bending move. He inhaled slowly. He could do this.

Putting his back to the river, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He had gone through some forms when being tested for potential earth bending so he knew the basics. Slowly, he copied the forward natural stance he had been taught, with his left leg bent in front of him and his right behind him. Clenching his left hand in a fist, he put it out before him and mentally rehearsed the steps he needed to go through. He exhaled sharply, bringing both arms in close to his chest, hands in a fist, then took a step, pushing his right hand out from his chest. He felt heat tingling in his knuckles and a flame burst from his hand, shooting into the trees.

"Yes!" he shouted, breaking stance and jumping up into the air. "I did it!"

Maia gave an indistinct squeal and rushed over to give him a congratulatory hug, but his eyes had wandered to the trees where he had sent his flame. There was a horrid gash in the trunk of a tree, stained black from the fire.

"On no," Huo gasped as he rushed to the tree. "Maia...I-I can't...Someone's going to get hurt and it's going to be my fault and all because I'm a stupid fire bender!"

"No. Huo. We talked about this. You're going to use this bending for good! It's just a tree. You can shoot the fire into the river instead of the woods. Then you won't hurt anything."

Huo touched the tree in apology. He wanted to give up, to forget he had bending in the first place, but he turned and looked at Maia. Her eyes were pleading and he knew it was impossible to say no to her. "Alright. Lets try again."


	4. Chapter 4-Visiting Relations

Welcome to chapter four, everyone! I'm introducing a canon character in this chapter, and decided to share a bit from Maia's perspective.

Thank you so much for the follows and the reviews! They really mean a lot to me. Y'all're amazing :)

* * *

Maia sat on a fallen tree trunk, staring out at the river before her. She was shaded from the blazing sun by the canopy of leaves. Sitting there, she silently observed nature around her, hearing every wisp of wind whisper through the leaves, every bird calling out its unique love song, and every pebble the water caressed. She swung her feet back and forth, feeling the dirt slide between her toes. It was cool and refreshing on this hot day and it made her feel at home. Slowly, she unrolled a scroll on her lap, her fingers gentle against the fragile paper. It was another bending scroll, this one depicting several earth bending moves: moves she longed to copy.

Her father had gone through a great amount of trouble to obtain the collection of scrolls he had. Half were inherited from his father, who had the same obsession with old, rare objects, while the others were bought from various locations in the earth kingdom. Once he had nearly been killed when one of his sellers neglected to inform him that they were meeting outside a fire nation occupied town for a transaction. She loved her father's collection and felt guilty as she held the beloved parchment between her fingers. If he found out she had been borrowing them she would be in for the greatest punishment of her life, but she knew she needed to help Huo on his bending journey. Him learning how to control his bending was more important than a bunch of old, dusty scrolls.

Sighing, she turned her attention to the scroll before her. Black and brown ink decorated the page. Longingly she traced the figures with her finger. A huff of disappointment escaped her lips and she let the scroll roll up upon itself.

Where was Huo? He was supposed to be here by now.

Dropping from her perch on the log, Maia decided she couldn't wait any longer. She might as well go home and focus on her studies.

She felt the ground beneath her feet. Small shivers tingled her feet: an all too familiar feeling. She sensed a connection with the earth, a magnetic pull that was stronger than gravity. When she sensed the connection, she felt free. Free to go where ever she wanted. Free to make her own decisions. But she could not bend. No matter how hard she tied, or how strong her connection was to the earth. She could feel the earth, but she couldn't move it.

She didn't complain about her lack of bending. Neither one of her parents could bend even the smallest pebble, so it was not expected of her, but she felt disappointed in herself, even if no one else would. Without bending, she didn't know what she was. She didn't have the potential that others had. Huo, for instance. He had tremendous power.

Yes. She was jealous of him. Even if she had a bending she had to keep secret from everyone, she still would feel special. Secrets were special. That's why she kept Huo's. She did not take the task of training him lightly. It was of the utmost importance, and seemed to be a task Huo was taking lightly today.

She huffed and turned her back on the river, the scroll clutched between her fist, intent on returning home. Closing her eyes, she sensed someone coming. Opening them and gazing towards the hill, she saw a figure rushing between trees, making an uproarious sound as his feet tore up the layer of leaves upon the forest floor. Huo came into sight, his face bright from his recent run. He quickly began to take deep breaths in recovery. Before he had fully recovered, he spoke to Maia frantically. "Sorry I'm late. We can't practice today. We have a guest."

* * *

Huo had woken up bright and early that morning, the sun prying open his eyes and his body doing the rest. He hopped out of bed and let out a quick yawn. He entertained a brief image of himself breathing fire, but he quickly dismissed that as impossible. Within minutes, he was dressed and ready. Maia had lectured him the day before that he needed to be at their rendezvous point as bright and early as possible.

Practicing his stealth skills, he tiptoed as quickly as he could down the hallway, and was on his way out the door when his mother called his name, causing him to halt in his tracks. "Huo!"

"Yes mother?" He asked. His let his right foot cross the threshold, toe by toe, letting it taste freedom that was most likely going to be denied him. His heart sunk into his stomach.

"Where are you going this morning?" There was a laugh in his mother's voice, and Huo turned. He saw her shadow in the kitchen and soon she came to the doorway and smiled.

"To play with Maia. We're meeting down by the river and I'm going to be late!" Huo hoped that the urgency in his voice would keep her from assigning him with some early morning chores.

"Have you forgotten, Huo? Your cousin is coming over."

"What?" Huo spun on his heel, abandoning the door.

His mother let out a small laugh. "You did forget!"

"When is he coming? Can't I just run down to the river and come back? I'll only be gone a few hours, I promise!"

"Have you cleaned your room?"

Huo bit his lip and wished he could turn invisible. It would certainly be a much more useful skill than fire bending. "I did last week..."

He was given a motherly gaze which was half smile and half disappointment.

"Can't I wait?"

"My sister-your aunt-, her husband, and Haru will be arriving at any moment. It's your duty to make them feel welcome, even if your task is as simple as keeping your room clean."

He tried not to look as annoyed as he felt as he trudged off to complete this chore.

He contemplated shoving everything into the closet, but he wouldn't let himself. He had to make Haru feel welcome after all. Fond memories of his cousin arose. They had so much fun together, and the fact that Haru could bend did not dampen any of his fond feelings towards him. But now there was something he had to keep a secret from him.

His fire bending.

It couldn't be too hard, could it?

Huo groaned as he dug clothing out from beneath his bed. It smelled like summer, meaning it held the aroma of grass, pond water, and sweat. He flung it all into a pile which he would bring to his mother so she could wash them. Then he made his bed, something he very rarely ever did, and straightened his closet. When he was finished, his heart lifted in pride. Maybe he would be able to spend some time with Maia before Haru arrived and have time to explain everything and maybe get some practicing in.

He dashed out of his room and raced for the door, this time not caring for stealth. But, when he opened the door, there were visitors upon their doorstep.

"Huo!" Haru greeted. He was a tall boy, around Huo's age, but about half a head taller than he was. He pushed his bangs out of his green eyes and gave Huo a big smile.

Huo's mother appeared in the doorway, and she and her sister exchanged long hugs and words filled with happiness. Haru's dad was included in the welcome, and the two boys stepped off to the side so as to avoid all the embracing.

"Come on," Huo beckoned, and he rushed off to the woods. He didn't check to see if Haru was behind him as he raced down the hill, his bare feet catching on hidden roots and stirring up the loam. He burst into the clearing and saw Maia staring at him, a bending scroll clutched in her right hand.

Bending over double, he quickly tried to catch his breath so as to warn her in time. "Sorry I'm late. We can't practice today. We have a guest."

Maia quickly slid the scroll into her pocket as Haru rounded the bend.


End file.
